Full fixture released: Melbourne derby headline opening round Super Netball season for 2024

The Super Netball fixture for 2024 has been released, which will pit newcomers Melbourne Mavericks against cross-town rivals Vixens in the opening round.

Super Netball newcomers the Melbourne Mavericks will be pitched into a Victorian derby in the world’s best league when they take on the Melbourne Vixens in the opening round in April.

John Cain Arena in Melbourne will host the match after the Mavs confirmed on Thursday the venue would become their home court. It will allow them to host crowds of up to 10,000.

Following a sellout for the final derby involving the now-defunct Collingwood last season, it’s fair to expect the venue will be packed to the rafters again in April.

Plenty of fans will be hoping to see the new team coached by former England mentor Tracey Neville.

In decisions that are set to become official over the next few days as contracts are ratified following a bitter and protracted war over the Collective Player Agreement, internationals Eleanor Cardwell, Amy Parmenter and Sasha Glasgow will be confirmed as part of the inaugural Mavs group, while Diamonds captain Liz Watson will be missing from the Vixens.

Watson has headed to the Sunshine Coast Lightning, where she will join Diamonds teammates Courtney Bruce and Cara Koenen and former Diamonds shooter Steph Fretwell (nee Wood).

The Lightning will host last season’s grand finalists the Swifts in the final match of the opening round. Their game is scheduled for just after the Mavs-Vixens clash.

Shae Bolton-Brown, general manager of the Melbourne Mavericks, will watch her club make its debut in round one against the Melbourne Vixens. Picture: Jason Edwards

Both games will be broadcast live and free on Kayo, as will be the case for all Sunday matches throughout the season and all First Nations Round matches.

The season will open a day earlier on April 13 when the Giants host West Coast Fever at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.

The Giants have made several changes to their personnel, including recruiting former Collingwood defender Jodi-Ann Ward and ex-Silver Ferns midcourter Sam Winders, in a bid to return to the finals.

They will resume one of the most ferocious rivalries in the league against a new-look Fever, which lost six members of this year’s squad during a tumultuous off-season.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds will start their Super Netball premiership defence in the second game of the season.

They will host the Queensland Firebirds in their new home at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The T-Birds played at the Entertainment Centre just once last season when they sold out the venue before beating the NSW Swifts in the grand final at John Cain Arena.

While Netball South Australia works with the state government on a plan to rejuvenate Netball SA Stadium, the T-Birds will play at the Entertainment Centre – which has more than double the capacity of their former home – before the grand final is played at the AEC on August 3.

In other key dates next season, the grand final rematch will be held in round 7, on May 25, when the Thunderbirds host the Swifts in Adelaide.

The Thunderbirds’ Shamera Sterling competes for the ball during the 2023 Super Netball Grand Final. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

The Fever will host the Lightning in round 2 when Courtney Bruce heads back to Perth for the first time since leaving her home state; Diamonds captain Liz Watson will return to the Vixens for the first time in round 6; and Mavericks Cardwell, Maisie Nankivell and Neville will host the Thunderbirds – the club with which they won a premiership last season – in round 5.

First Nations round will be played in rounds 7 and 13 to coincide with National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week and ensure every club has a home game.

Inclusion Round will be held on May 4-5 when clubs will showcase netball as a sport for everyone.

The three-week finals series starts on the weekend of July 20-21, while the grand final is on August 3.

Netball Australia executive general manager – Super Netball, events and commercial – Adam Richardson said the fixtures provided optimal access for fans to watch and attend matches.

“With some of the largest crowds to date in the 2023 season, we are thrilled to announce a fixtures list that will build on that success and break even more records in 2024,” Richardson said.

“We are also excited to see how the introduction of Suncorp Super Netball’s newest team, the Melbourne Mavericks, will shake things up and continue to build on the history of the world’s best netball league.”

As well as all Sunday and First Nations Round matches being broadcast on Kayo Freebies, all games will be available live and ad-break free during play on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

Foxtel Group’s executive director of commercial sport, Rebecca McCloy, said it was exciting to usher in a new era of Super Netball.

“It promises to be a fresh start for one of Australia’s most highly participated sports and we are pleased to offer all Sunday matches live and free on Kayo Freebies to make the league more accessible for all fans of the game,” she said.

Originally published as Full fixture released: Melbourne derby headline opening round Super Netball season for 2024